Southern Heavenly Gate.
A black mass of densely packed Demon Race soldiers and generals stood with grim expressions, their hands gripping their weapons trembling uncontrollably.
Though there were only a few hundred people on the other side while they had tens of billions,
those were the Witch Clan's Twelve Ancestral Witches and all the High Witches under their command!
For foot soldiers like them, a casual slap from those people would leave them dead and wounded in heaps.
"So few people?"
Seeing that Dijiang had brought only a few hundred men, a trace of suspicion flashed through Dijun's eyes.
What was Zhu Jiuyin plotting again?
Zhu Jiuyin's reputation as the Witch Clan's sage was renowned even within the Demon Race.
The Law of Time allowed him to glimpse the future; he was troublesome and shamelessly difficult to deal with.
Dijun had originally intended to seize this opportunity to begin the war directly and determine victory or defeat in this battle.
Although Dijiang's side had few people, the Demon Race held the advantage of home ground and numbers.
Yet he no longer wanted to make a move. There had to be something fishy when things were abnormal.
Earlier, scouts had reported that the major Witch Clan tribes were sharpening their weapons and readying their horses.
And this was the result?
A few hundred High Witches and Twelve Ancestral Witches were indeed a formidable force, but as the Witch Clan's mortal enemy, he knew well that this was not the entirety of the Witch Clan's strength. Not even all of the Witch Clan's High Witches had come here.
Coming to smash someone's turf without bringing all your forces—were they here to smash the place or deliver themselves to death?"
"Or had Dijiang become so arrogant that he believed these people alone could wipe out my Demon Race?"
At that thought, anger rose in Dijun's eyes as he said coldly,
"Dijiang, did you bring this handful of people to my Heavenly Court to die?"
"I came to smash your turf!"
Dijiang answered bluntly.
"You three-legged feathered crow really are petty. For such a major matter, you actually did not invite my Witch Clan. Are you looking down on my Witch Clan?!"
Dijiang's voice rolled like heavenly thunder, deafening to the ears.
?
"If you want to fight, then fight. Since when did you Wu Man savages become so cultured and refined?"
Taiyi, standing beside Dijun, could not help summoning the Chaos Bell as he shouted.
"Second Brother, calm down. There is something strange about this!"
Dijun reached out to stop Taiyi and gave Dijiang a deep look.
Strange. It was far too strange.
These savages were actually playing at courtesy before force?
Something was twelve parts wrong out of ten.
"Dijiang, what exactly do you intend by coming here this time?"
"I already said I came to challenge you. Are you feathered crows incapable of understanding? Fine, I'll make it clearer. You and I will have a fight. If you win, my Witch Clan will acknowledge the existence of your Heavenly Court. If you lose, get the hell out of the Heavenly Court!"
A trace of impatience appeared on Dijiang's face.
After saying that, he looked toward Houtu and asked in a low voice, "Little Sister, did I say anything wrong?"
"Big Brother, leave it to me."
"No, this is my war. I must face it myself. You watch my back."
Dijun shook his head.
"I accept your proposal!"
???
Wasn't the promised Witch-Demon battle supposed to leave rivers of blood? Where was the Twelve Heavenly Capitals Formation?
Why did the course of the Primordial World seem a little off? It could not be that my influence had quietly changed the great trend of the Primordial World, could it? Was this another version of the Primordial World?
Lu Chen secretly felt puzzled.
The current Primordial World had become somewhat incomprehensible to him.
"It is rare to see Dijiang and Dijun meet without immediately fighting."
Hong Yun said with a smile.
"Mm."
On the other side, Dijun and Dijiang had already begun fighting. There was nothing flashy about their confrontation.
Dijun directly transformed into his true form, the Three-Legged Golden Crow, placed the River Diagram and Luo Writing above his head, and used Great Sun Golden Flame to scorch his opponent.
Dijiang, meanwhile, relied on his powerful physical body to withstand the Great Sun Golden Flame, his fists hammering again and again against the River Diagram and Luo Writing. After several blows, he sent it swaying on the verge of collapse.
The Great Sun Golden Flame possessed the power to burn mountains and boil seas, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Phoenix Clan's Nanli Bright Flame. Its might was astonishing.
Though Dijiang's body was formidable, he could not completely withstand the burning of the Great Sun Golden Flame. Faint scorch marks appeared across his muscular frame.
"Why does this duel feel a little childish?"
Lu Chen took a spirit fruit from his sleeve, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed.
"Mm, this does not fit the Witch Clan's temperament. Moreover, Dijun's strength is not Dijiang's equal. Even with the River Diagram and Luo Writing, he will not be able to hold out for long."
"In other words, Dijiang is going easy on him."
"Going easy? Aside from Sages, Dijiang is currently the strongest. Even Taiyi with the Chaos Bell falls a notch short."
"He is going this easy... What exactly is the Witch Clan planning...?"
Lu Chen stroked his chin. Once he realized Dijiang was holding back, he lost interest in continuing to watch. Even Taiyi, the Heavenly Court's God of War, was no match for Dijiang now, so Dijun naturally was not either.
As for who would win, or how long it would take, that depended on just how much Dijiang intended to hold back.
Lu Chen turned his gaze toward the Witch Clan and paused on Houtu for a moment. Unexpectedly, Houtu noticed him. As their eyes met, she even blinked at Lu Chen.
"Damn, I was fooled!"
A bitter smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.
"They say beautiful women are the best liars. The ancients truly did not deceive me."
He had once thought that, like the other Witch Clan members, Houtu had nothing but muscles in her head.
Now it seemed Houtu had understood the meaning behind his words long ago and had deliberately pretended not to.
It seemed that this Witch-Demon battle would end with a tiger's head and a snake's tail.
Lu Chen, who had wanted to see blood flow into rivers, found that rather regrettable.
"Excellent!"
Dijiang sent Dijun flying with one punch, then stood in the void and burst into hearty laughter, utterly unconcerned with the burn marks on his body.
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Even though Dijun was deeply calculating, his face could not help darkening now.
He felt that Dijiang had not come for a decisive battle at all, but simply to humiliate him.
"Form the formation!"
Killing intent flashed through Dijun's eyes. Even if the Witch Clan truly had some scheme now, he no longer wished to think about it. As long as he captured the Ancestral Witches and these High Witches, the remaining Witch Clan would be nothing to fear.
Buzz.
Several hundred streams of light rose into the sky from the Demon Race army.
Neither more nor less—three hundred and sixty-five.
"All-Heaven Star Formation, arise!"
Dijun hurled out the River Diagram and Luo Writing. Boundless starry sky above sent down streams of starlight that merged into those rays of light. Dijun and Taiyi served as the formation cores, standing respectively in the positions of the Solar Star and Firmament Star.
The formation was complete!
A profound and powerful pressure surged from the grand formation, shaking heaven and earth. Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, a starry sky appeared, with countless stars glittering.
"The Demon Race actually possesses such a formation!"
Several dozen streams of light flew out from Lingxiao Palace and arrived at the Southern Heavenly Gate.
Laozi and Yuanshi led the group, followed closely by the two Sages of the Western Sect, then great powers such as Minghe.
Feeling the aura erupting from the All-Heaven Star Formation, Laozi and Yuanshi both revealed grave expressions.
The formation arranged by Dijun and Taiyi had completely surpassed the Quasi-Saint level in terms of aura.
It had reached the Sage level!
"I never expected the Demon Race to possess such power without a sound."
Yuanshi narrowed his eyes. No matter how many Quasi-Saints or Great Luos the Demon Race possessed, he would not care, because the gap between Sages and Quasi-Saints was right there. Before a Sage, a Quasi-Saint was merely a slightly stronger ant, one that could still be casually crushed.
But the All-Heaven Star Formation was different. It allowed the Demon Race to wield Sage-level power. Though it was only a formation and its power was limited, it was Sage-level nonetheless.
To them, it counted as a threat.
And any threat had to be strangled in its cradle.
"This three-legged crow truly cannot be underestimated. If we had charged in and fought from the start, he really might have caught us off guard."
A look of surprise appeared on Dijiang's face. He grinned, raised his head toward the vault of heaven, and shouted,
"Heavenly Dao, this war was started by the Demon Race. My Witch Clan is merely forced to meet the challenge."
After saying that, he turned around and bellowed,
"Brothers, it is time for a bloody battle!"
Boom!
A pitch-black palace smashed through the clouds and appeared above the Southern Heavenly Gate.
Beneath the palace stood countless Witch Clan troops.
Before you continue